Posts with the tag seiu

Principles of Health Care Reform: #3

Sat, 07 Mar 2009 16:31:10 EST

As an organizer for SEIU's Change that Works Campaign, I am working on building a network of community members who will engage Grand Forks in a conversation about Health Care Reform. I'm interested in hearing your take on one of the principles essential to successful Health Care Reform:

#3:Reducing Waste and Improving Efficiency

What parts of the Health Care System are wasteful? What can we do to fix the Health Care System? Do you think electronic records will really improve the efficiency and safety of medical services? What other steps can we take to save money?
I look forward to hearing your responses.

Aaron Quaday

Grand Forks Organizer -- Change that Works

aquadaynodak0470@gmail.com

Principles of Health Care Reform: #2

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 18:46:47 EST

#2: Health Care for All Americans

The message is simple: For our medical security, an investment in providing Health Care for All Americans is wise and an essential component of health care reform. We can avoid paying the medical bills for catastrophic visits to the emergency by un-insured if we provide access to immediate preventative or early intervention through regular access to affordable health care. This is the economic and epidemiological argument for Health Care for All Americans. Some prefer the moral imperative.

Why do you think all Americans should be covered by Health Insurance?

Or do you disagree that we will all be better off, if all Americans have access to health care? I look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

Aaron Quaday

Grand Forks Organizer -- Change that Works

aquadaynodak0470@gmail.com

Principles of Health Care Reform: #1

Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:07:51 EST

As an organizer for SEIU's Change that Works Campaign, I am working on building a network of community members who will engage in the Health Care Reform conversation here in Grand Forks.

I'm interested in hearing your take on one of the principles essential to successful Health Care Reform

#1: Ensuring Patient Choice of providers.

Do you have a story about your experiencs during a change in HMO or Health Insurer? Do you understand what needs to happen to ensure that there are no gaps in coverage or access to doctors?

I personally have attained health coverage through three different insurance companies over the past five years. Fortunately, I haven't felt like I needed to go to a doctor during the times that I was uninsured, with one exception. (A dog bite forced me into the ER when I lacked health insurance.) I'm not sure how I would have got through that situation had the dog's owner not had homeowner's insurance to pay for my lost wages and my hospital bills. I suggest you avoid breaking up fights between dogs, in general, although I was worried that my dog was going to seriously harm the other dog (who bit me while I was pulling my dog off him.) For those of you who are wondering: my dog was on leash, the other dog had dug under a fence and escaped its yard.

Since I haven't had a regular doctor for so long, I really don't know what it would be like to have a family doctor forever and then need to find a new doctor because of a change in HMO policy. What kind of complications arise? I'm interested to hear from you if you've ever found yourself in those circumstances.

Regards,

Aaron Quaday

Grand Forks Organizer -- Change that Works

aquadaynodak0470@gmail.com

The Need for Change in Health Care

Sat, 28 Feb 2009 22:48:53 EST

My fellow North Dakotans,

I've completed my training to be an organizer for the Change that Works Campaign and am starting my new job on Monday. I will be working to promote an agenda for a Uniquely American Solution to the Health Care Crisis. In order that I may understand even more deeply how this system. I personally have been without health insurance for half of the past six years, and know how disconcerting that can be, but I want to hear about what other people are experiencing. If you would like to learn more about how you can get involved in making sure our delegation hears how important Health Care Reform is to you, please contact me.

Please write to me describing your experiences that are pertinent to our current health care crisis.

-Aaron

Employment ensues

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 02:19:01 EST

I've accepted a job as an organizer for the SEIU in Grand Forks, ND.

I am very excited about returning to Grand Forks, ND to work for health care for all and advocating for the employee free choice Act. I hope you will join me in this effort to ensure workers will have the right to collaborate. People working together to improve their own living and working situation -- we must ensure that right is protected.

I look forward to working with you on these issues. Let me know if you are interested in learning more about the work we are doing in North Dakota.

SEIU Change that Works

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:00:24 EST

North Dakotans!

Join the Change that Works Campaign. Help work for a stronger and fairer economy, increase access to health care, and support employee free choice. Sign up for email updates on future activitie.

http://www.seiu.org/changethatworks/northdakota/

Barack and Union Workers...

Mickiboop (P.O.B.) Be the Change — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 19:40:46 EDT

I'm a proud member of the Association of CA State Supervisors (ACSS), an affiliate of the CA State Employees Association (CSEA) and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). We are over 700,000 strong in CA and we're doing a massive GOTV. I'm very proud of our support for Barack Obama and can't wait to watch him be sworn in on January 20, 2009.
Barack participated in SEIU’s "Walk a Day in my Shoes" program in August 2007. Please click on the Walk a Day in my Shoes link on our home page to check out the story and pictures of Barack: http://www.seiuca.org/

I’m so proud of Barack and this wonderful movement for positive change in America.Obama / Biden ‘08 Can't Wait!!!

Wisconsin Hotly Contested: Allegations Of Voter Fraud Surface

Scott Foval — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 21:45:33 EDT

EDITORIAL NOTE: This Post Originally Appeared At The Huffington Post / Off The Bus On September 14, 2008.

Visit http://www.huffingtonpost.com/scott-foval/wisconsin-hotly-contested_b_126332.htmlto view the original post.

Wisconsin has become one of the most watched battleground states in the country, and forces on both the Democratic and Republican sides have activated their field operations and get-out-the-vote, or GOTV, efforts to woo registered Independent and undecided likely voters. Democrats have been hoping to turn this traditionally red state into a purple or possibly even blue one this year. But just before polls opened last Tuesday for Wisconsin's general assembly primary, numerous, unconfirmed allegations began to surface of a behind-the-scenes effort by the McCain-Palin campaign to manipulate the vote totals in Wisconsin and other key states this November.

On the Monday night before the primary, thousands of Wisconsin registered Independents and voters who have re-registered in the last year received absentee ballot applications enclosed in McCain / Palin direct mail pieces. The pre-printed, re-mailable absentee ballot applications appeared to be customized to the recipient's mailing address, with the addressee's local election office already on the form. Such mailers have been a tool for political campaigns, labor unions, GOTV interest organizations, and state and county election offices for a number of years. Other states reportedly saw similar mailings hit mailboxes, possibly totaling in the millions.

On the surface, the mailings appear to be a legal GOTV effort to re-register targeted recipients for the November 4 general election. But reports in the blogosphere, progressive media, and by other individual sources allege that the forms could instead be part of a larger effort to purposefully manipulate voter registrations in Wisconsin and possibly nationwide. The mailers, if true, may be a type of voter fraud because if someone receives an absentee ballot but does not send it in, he or she cannot go to the polls and vote on election day. The allegations imply that the McCain campaign is sending absentee ballots to people in the hopes that they will not send them in and when they try to vote in person will be turned away.

On Thursday's and Friday's nationally-broadcast Thom Hartmann Show, which airs on Air America Radio Network and streamed online, guest host Lee Rayburn of AAR affiliate The Mic 92.1 FM in Sun Prairie, Wisc., broke the story about the mailings and fielded numerous calls from listeners echoing their concerns about them.

In Wisconsin, the core center of government, the state capitol of Madison, is notoriously liberal. And Milwaukee, the economic center along Lake Michigan, tends to lean left. However, over the last three decades the rest of the state, proud of its independence, its agricultural and green technology industries, and religious conservatism, has proven to be moderate-to-conservative, primarily voting so-called red most of the time. In the last 12 years Wisconsin also has had its share of alleged voting irregularities, although investigations into the allegations have not yet been aggressively pursued by the state assembly or attorney general's offices.

This year, however, may be different. As the economic policies of George Bush have played out, and 3000-plus Wisconsin National Guard reservists were called up last weekend to deploy to Iraq this fall, the state's residents seem to have shifted their opinions of the Republican Party, and the presidential and vice presidential contests. As a result, Wisconsinites are scrutinizing every angle of electing their public officials at a level that has not been seen before. Members of the military who are deployed abroad, by far the largest group of absentee voters, are being courted particularly heavily by the political parties, as dissension in the ranks has swung both political contributions and absentee registrations towards the Democrats and away from Republicans in many states.

Direct mail campaigns containing absentee ballot applications from political parties and campaigns targeted at registered Independents are not new. Wisconsin is an Independent stronghold due to the popularity of Independent U.S. Senator Herb Kohl. Mail campaigns also affect the local and statewide races by activating those potential swing votes. Democrats have been active too, coordinating GOTV efforts for contested Wisconsin General Assembly seats with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). SEIU distributed direct mail pieces to thousands of households on behalf of their endorsed candidates to likely voters in Wisconsin and other states. In Wisconsin both direct mail campaigns hit mailboxes on or before Monday night, September 8, just in time for Tuesday's primary activities. The SEIU mailers did not contain absentee ballot applications, nor did they include endorsements of the national parties or the Obama-Biden campaigns.

McCain's political pitch is targeted squarely at pro-life conservatives. The headline, "A faith that sustains me...," leads to a main story starting with his POW experience in Vietnam, his adoption (with wife Cindy) of a little girl from Mother Theresa's orphanage, and delivers the pro-life position to the reader right between the eyes.

Quoted McCain lines from one of the mailers include these:

"My faith in God sustained me, protected me and gave me the strength to endure."

"That's why I have consistently fought to defend the right to life and the rights of the unborn."

"That's why Cindy and I have worked to promote adoption here and around the world as an alternative to abortion, including adopting our own daughter from Mother Theresa's orphanage in Bangladesh."

"And that's why I will appoint judges that respect the values and protect the rights established in our Constitution, faithfully applying the law without legislating from the bench."

Local party officials and labor union organizers are mixed on the effect the national efforts will have on the races at the local level, and on the results in November. Wisconsin's 2nd Congressional District Democratic Party Chairman Peter Rickman, an experienced political operative and labor organizer for the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), indicated in a Thursday phone interview that the national campaigns are prioritizing their efforts in Wisconsin towards GOTV efforts, but that more statewide and local media buys would be necessary to sway the voters in his district. Rickman insisted that the local candidates and parties were more focused on winning the Wisconsin General Assembly for Democrats, because local politics, he said, is where "real governing happens," and was pessimistic on whether the Obama campaign had done enough to support the entire ticket in an effort to spur the kind of change Obama spoke about in his Democratic National Convention acceptance speech.

"They're focused on their guy and getting him elected, and that's great, but the Obama Campaign could do a lot more to help out in local and statewide races, supporting the whole ticket," Rickman said. "If they really want to make change happen, it's going to have to be at the grassroots level, and although they have raised a lot of individual contributions and support from the grassroots, I haven't seen much of that money coming back in the way of paid media." Rickman did say, however, that the Obama-Biden Campaign and other national organizations are mobilizing large numbers of volunteers and paid staffers in his state and others to bolster GOTV efforts, which would go a long way to insure that likely voters are delivered on November 4.

Wisconsin Republican Party officials at the state and county levels in several areas were contacted for this report, but numerous requests for comment about the allegations surrounding the McCain-Palin mailings went unanswered. Democratic officials, including Rickman and Dane County Democratic Party Chairman Wayne Bigelow, did not mention the absentee ballot allegations in their respective interviews, but have been contacted for follow-up on this story. Efforts to contact state election officials about the allegations are still ongoing, but at press time, requests for comment have yet to be answered.

Labo(u)r Day

Mid America Mom — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 02:15:30 EDT

That end of summer event - the local Labor Day Parade.

Did you watch or march in one? My family and I are marching veterans (this is our third this summer) and were thinking of joining the one in my hometown. We have a large one every year as part of our annual festival. People pack every inch along it's path and have their own traditions. My best friend's childhood home is toward the end on a prime corner. Each year friends and family come for the annual BBQ and watch the parade in prime seats. Yes the Democrats were to be there in force and supporting the local races and Obama.

But this year we celebrated it in Toronto, Canada.

New to Canada I was surprised to learn that they celebrate this holiday and on the same day. Some consider Toronto the birth place of Labour Day. 1872 found workers in the streets of Toronto demonstrating and asking for the release of a group that striked in order to have a 9 hour work day. Today it is a large march with activists and unions that ends at the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition) where parade participants get in free (nice touch).

Before we made THE Big Move I found out that the local chapter of the Democrats Abroad organization was going to march in the parade! After discussing it with my husband we signed up the whole family. So in the midst of deciding what to store and pack for THE Big Move I eyed my Obama gear- Signs, shirts, buttons and settled on my beloved "O" sign. This round sign has lots of miles. I got this while doing GOTV the week leading up to the Iowa caucus. Someone in the office I worked at, Washington Iowa, had one from the previous Harkin Steak Fry.

Day of the parade was one of "those" days. We got up late (as you can see from timestamps I am an night owl). How can you lose two kids teeshirts in a small apartment? I was frantic. I ordered these earlier in the summer just for parades and they had not yet been worn! Relieved when I found them in a bin of clothes... for the fall... of all places. Scrambled to get a diaper bag assembled with snacks, games, extra water, and sunscreen. Where are we meeting and how do we get there? We knew we could not drive but then we do not know the public transit system (they have it all here- trains, subway, streetcars, ferries, and buses). Could not find an address to the CNE for our return trip despite spending at least 30 minutes with mapquest and google. Was I nuts to wing the return with a toddler who normally would nap at that time? AND we were running late.

Finally we got out the door and to the subway- our daughters first experience.

Stairs everywhere and we had a cart and a stroller. We had to cover the rules of behavior. I was worried about one not making it on with the rest of the family. As Thomas and Friends fans they did not quite understand this train in a tunnel that never gets out. When we get out and up on the street I cannot tell what was north etc. After asking a passerby, we finally get over to our group.

It numbers around 22 and most are middle to upper aged. Will is there holding the Obama 08 banner.

I finally meet Adrienne Jones, the chair of Democrats Abroad- Canada. This lucky lady had been in Denver for the convention and is handing out fliers for us to distribute on the route. I spy someone holding an official Obama/Biden sign! And a little later another Mom, Linette, joins us with her little one in a stroller and older in tow. Adrienne has a few signs to tape to it. The oldest is sporting a CHANGE sign that I have not seen before.

With little time to spare we take some pictures and start marching.

My little one has a sign in her lap while in the stroller. She does a fantastic job holding onto it for at least 4/5 of the parade. My older one- well she changes her mind on which one to hold. At one point Daddy has to carry her. I have my "O" sign.

The music from a float ahead is enjoyable but loud. Another group behind us does some chanting. We make an attempt at playing some music but no cheers. I doubt anyone would hear us.

The route is sparsely watched in parts, we are at the end.. But that makes us stand out even more. There is a sea of purple shirts and yellow shirts in the groups not far from us. I pass out some stickers I brought with me. Some of our group fans out to pass fliers, Linette's daughter as well. It was adorable.

Was it a success? I did not hear many complaints in the crowd. There were parade watchers that ran up to us asking for information. Others asked to take their picture with our many signs.

At the end, outside the gates of the CNE,

we come across many from the unions. And we meet a few ladies with the purple shirts we saw from afar- SEIU!

For those of us that have followed this campaign - it was kismet. Obama has been a supporter of SEIU from his earliest days in Chicago as an organizer, last summer he spent a day with a homehealth union worker and they endorsed him. If you ever wanted to hear Obama- the preacher- at his best check out this speech at one of their conferences last fall.. this one gives me chills. She picked this shirt up at their convention and wore it for this Labour Day.

It was a great day! Obama is well liked and we reached a number of people. People that hopefully went home and requested their absentee ballot or told their friends and family guess what Obama supporters are even here!

No matter who you are

where you are

you can be the change.

Mid America Mom

Domestic Free Trade Agreement is the Answer! Research Credit Default Swaps NOW!

GOPCrashers — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:37:48 EDT

I believe that Sen. Obama should consider some bold initiatives to counteract the severe economic crisis facing our nation today.

If the Mexicans and Canadians deserve NAFTA, then as citizens of the US I think we have the right to demand a Domestic Free Trade Agreement. Sen. Obama should get together some of the smart people at University of Chicago and hammer out a plan whereby states with strong manufacturing or agricultural backgrounds can benefit from favored-trade status with states that have high concentrations of population in urban areas and thus stronger consumer markets. Some states have both and there should be provisions to encourage intra-state trade in those places to encourage more balanced growth between rural and urban areas without eminent domain violations or turning all of our farmland into strip malls.

As far as the housing/financial crisis goes, this thing is not getting better any time soon without a serious reconstruction of the problematic debt that is underpinning the whole merry-go-round shell game that is being played on Wall Street. If people think the subprime debt problem is bad then they should read up on Credit Default Swaps. Wikipedia the CDS market, read a book, google it, ask your financial advisors about it. Don't stop until we start getting some answers. The entire JPM/Bear Sterns deal was essentially a leveraged buyout to help a member of the federal reserve banking system cover a bunch of Credit Default Swap exposure. I realize this won't make sense to many people and it would take me days to explain it all so I would encourage everyone to go find out solid info on these debt structures.

For the sake of reference,

Video: SEIU President and Massachusetts Governor in Youngstown, OH

Michael Pipe — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:25:04 EST

Canvassers who spent the day knocking on doors in Youngstown, Ohio, gathered at the New Bethel Baptist Church to watch and listen to SEIU President Andy Stern and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick share why they are supporting Barack Obama.

Watch a video clip below:

Join us and be a part of history as we knock on one million doors in Ohio to get out the vote for Barack Obama.

SEIU test blog entry

Mike Dolan 4 — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 14:38:25 EST

t Feb 16, 2:50 PM ET if(window.yzq_d==null)window.yzq_d=new Object(); window.yzq_d['IvoUhdG_RuU-']='&U=13bolipam%2fN%3dIvoUhdG_RuU-%2fC%3d619213.12054919.12500303.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4919452'; <img width=1 height=1 alt="" src="http://us.bc.yahoo.com/b?P=IZ7ux9G_Rt3R1EiVR1WhOg8bptZLKke_I8QAAmzg&T=1c5iubgit%2fX%3d1203708869%2fE%3d96796479%2fR%3dnews%2fK%3d5%2fV%3d2.1%2fW%3dH%2fY%3dYAHOO%2fF%3d2239201140%2fH%3dY2FjaGVoaW50PSJuZXdzIiBjb250ZW50PSJJdDtKb2huIEVkd2FyZHM7RGVtb2NyYXRpYztpdDtIaWxsYXJ5IENsaW50b247cG9saXRpY3M7ZWxlY3Rpb247QW1lcmljYTtjaGlsZHJlbjtyZWZ1cmxfbmV3c19nb29nbGVfY29tIiByZWZ1cmw9InJlZnVybF9uZXdzX2dvb2dsZV9jb20iIHRvcGljcz0icmVmdXJsX25ld3NfZ29vZ2xlX2NvbSI-%2fQ%3d-1%2fS%3d1%2fJ%3d7947BFD1&U=13bolipam%2fN%3dIvoUhdG_RuU-%2fC%3d619213.12054919.12500303.1442997%2fD%3dLREC%2fB%3d4919452">The Nation -- It was no secret that the Service Employees International Union -- the fastest-growing and most politically muscular of the nation's major unions -- had been leaning toward Barack Obama from the moment that John Edwards left the race for the Democratic presidential nomination

Edwards got the backing of some key SEIU affiliates around the country, as did Obama. But the mixed signals from the union kept it out of the thick of the campaign at the early stages.

Making calls to Ohio

Obamakim — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 08:26:33 EST

I'm a rather shy person from Columbus, Ohio. I will not let my shyness keep me from making calls to Ohio voters on behalf of Barack Obama. I e-mailed my Obama district organizer about this & here was his response:

I have just the ticket for you. Our new user friendly phone bank is at SEIU 1199 at 1395 Dublin Rd. There are going to be tons of people who have never phone banked before there so it will be a lot of fun and nothing to worry about. You should just come on by anytime after 12pm on Sunday or anytime between 9am-9pm every week day.

If you live in Columbus & like me need a little push to pick up the phone & make these important calls come join me. You'll be glad you did!

Kim

Breaking: SEIU Endorses Obama

Sarah Ramey — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:59:50 EST

Breaking news from the AP...

"SEIU Endorses Obama"
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Barack Obama won the support Friday of the 1.9-million member Service Employees International Union, his second endorsement in as many days from large labor organizations and a fresh sign of momentum in the Democratic presidential race with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.
"There has never been a fight in Illinois or a fight in the nation where our members have not asked Barack Obama for assistance and he has not done everything he could to help us," Andy Stern, the union's president, told reporters in announcing the decision.
Stern said that in the months since union leaders met with several Democratic candidates last fall, "the excitement has been building and building for Obama."
The politically active union represents workers in health care, building services and other industries. It has donated more than $25 million to candidates in the past two decades, most of it to Democrats.
For Obama, the endorsement offers a chance to increase support in the primary states that are scheduled to vote in the next few weeks, particularly Ohio and Texas on March 4 and Pennsylvania on April 22.
On Thursday, Obama collected the support of the United Food and Commercial Workers, a politically active union with significant membership in the upcoming Democratic battlegrounds. The 1.3-million member UFCW has 69,000 members in Ohio and another 26,000 in Texas. The food workers also have 19,000 members in Wisconsin, which holds a primary Tuesday.
The union is made up of supermarket workers and meatpackers, with 40 percent of the membership under 30 years old. Obama has been doing especially well among young voters.
The SEIU delayed a national endorsement for months after inviting Obama, Clinton and other Democratic candidates to speak to its members in Washington.
In the interim, several state affiliates swung behind candidates, many of them choosing former Sen. John Edwards.
Edwards dropped out of the race just before the Super Tuesday primaries and caucuses on Feb. 5, leaving the field to Obama and Clinton.
The endorsement is a break with what the union said last October.
Then, the SEIU said it wouldn't choose a national candidate for the primary elections, underscoring divisions that had been apparent among SEIU supporters of Edwards, Clinton and Obama.
"Given the importance of this election, we are encouraging members and leaders to act on their passion for the candidates and get involved on a statewide basis," Stern said at the time.

Possible SEIU Endorsement

Chris Comninel — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 22:38:10 EST

I also heard that the SEIU is poised to endorse Obama according to an article on CNN.com.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/02/14/seiu-poised-to-endorse-obama/

SEIU endorsement!

Virginia S. — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 16:13:11 EST

Looks like the SEIU is about to endorse Barack!

Yes we can!

Obama '08!

The Endorsements Just Keep Coming…

C Dornfeld — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 13:58:23 EST

On the heels of last nights debate between Obama and Clinton, Edwards leaving the race and an endorsement from Sen. Ted Kennedy and according to Gallup, Obama has reduced Clinton's lead nationally to just 4%, several organizations and unions endorsements Obama today.

This morning MoveOn.org endorsed Senator Barack Obama. The grass roots political action committee has 3.2 million members (including 1.7 million members who live in Super Tuesday primary states. MoveOn conducted a survey of its members after Edwards dropped out of the race – of those who responded 70% voted for Obama.

The Transportation Workers Union today also endorsed Obama. The union which endorsed Edwards last September, represents about 140,000 active members of transit workers in NYC, flight attendants for Southwest Airlines, ground crews for American Airlines and other transportation workers around the US.

The Service Employees International Union this morning endorsed Barack Obama . The SEIU includes city, county and state workers, as well as in-home support and health care workers and represents around 650,000 members.

More Endorsements in Kansas, Missouri and Massachusetts !!!

Franklin Katunda — Sat, 20 Oct 2007 12:45:58 EDT

Obama wins endorsement of Missouri-Kansas SEIU councilThe Associated Press | October 19, 2007

Staff Written

WASHINGTON - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Thursday won the endorsement of the Missouri-Kansas State Council of the Service Employees International Union.

The council represents more than 15,000 members in both states.

SEIU decided last week not to make a national endorsement in the Democratic presidential primaries. But the union freed its state chapters to make their own endorsements.

"Sen. Obama has the judgment and vision necessary to lead our country in the right direction," said Sherwin Carroll, president of the council.

The Illinois Sen. was endorsed earlier this week by SEIU chapters in Illinois and Indiana, which have about 170,000 members.

Obama's Democratic rival, John Edwards, has been endorsed by 10 other state chapters of the union, including the crucial state of Iowa. Those chapters represent nearly 1 million members, or about half the union's national membership.

Obama has been ramping up his campaign organization in Missouri. Last week, his campaign opened an office in Kansas City and he plans to open another office in St. Louis within the next two weeks, spokesman Ben LaBolt said.

Read the full article from The Associated Press

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Patrick to back Obama's campaign

The Boston Globe | October 18, 2007 By Frank Phillips

Governor Deval Patrick will throw his support behind Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential campaign, an endorsement that could give the Illinois senator a boost in the crucial New Hampshire primary and may help Obama blunt some of Senator Hillary Clinton's recent success in winning African-American support.Administration officials confirmed that the governor called Obama yesterday to pledge his endorsement, and Patrick's volunteers began working out the details of a public rally in Boston Tuesday.

Patrick also called Clinton yesterday to break the news that he would endorse her opponent. Patrick has strong ties to the New York senator from serving as a Justice Department official during the Clinton administration. Both Bill and Hillary Clinton had lobbied Patrick for his endorsement.Patrick chose Obama because the governor believes the country is hungry for a fresh leadership style, one that stirs up strong voter enthusiasm, Patrick administration officials said.The most immediate advantage for Obama is Patrick's ability to dispatch volunteers, who were a major factor in his gubernatorial victory last year, to New Hampshire to campaign.

Patrick sent e-mail last night to 40,000 workers and supporters, informing them of his decision.Many national and state polls suggest Clinton is in the lead and Obama has stalled in a distant second place. And recent polls indicate that Clinton has built a lead of more than 20 percentage points over him among the Granite State's Democratic primary voters.Political specialists said the value of the endorsement will depend on what Patrick can deliver in terms of Massachusetts volunteers willing to travel to New Hampshire on weekends to knock on doors.

The Massachusetts governor's endorsement, on its own, doesn't count for much in the Granite State, said Dante Scala, an associate professor of political science at the University of New Hampshire."Patrick's ultimate value will be in terms of people power, because typically in New Hampshire, endorsements by out-of-state political figures don't hold a lot of weight," he said.Patrick's endorsement could count highly in southern New Hampshire communities that are oriented to Massachusetts and, in particular, Boston-based media. Those areas have a large population of voters who could be open to a pro-Obama message, Scala said.

Patrick is expected to argue in the coming weeks that Obama can lead a "generational call," a rally to inspire young voters to rebuild the country and restore its standing around the world. Patrick feels that the issue of Obama's relative inexperience is overblown, administration officials said.Jeffrey Berry, a political science professor at Tufts University, said Patrick's endorsement will be significant because it will reinforce Obama's most potent weapon: his broad-based appeal to voters."

For Obama, a Patrick endorsement is another sign there is a new, young generation of dynamic black leaders who can appeal across racial and partisan lines," Berry said.Patrick and Obama have traveled similar personal and career paths. Both have roots in Chicago, hold Harvard law degrees, and have emerged in the past several years as the principal figures in a new generation of African-American political leaders. Both have passionate grass-roots support.They met when Obama was a civil rights lawyer in Chicago and Patrick was head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. Obama campaigned for Patrick several times during the governor's race, raising money for him in Chicago in late 2005, when Patrick's gubernatorial bid looked like a longshot. They dined together recently on Martha's Vineyard at the home of a friend."We understand they have been longstanding friends and they share the same strategists," said Mo Elleithee, a Clinton campaign press spokesman.There could be some limits on Patrick's time to campaign.

Patrick's first-year agenda is on the line on Beacon Hill until the legislative session ends Nov. 21. Patrick will also miss a week in December when he leads a Massachusetts trade mission to China.New Hampshire lawmakers are considering whether to move the state's primary election to as early as Dec. 11. If not, the primary will be held in early January.A recent CNN poll suggests Clinton holds a significant lead over Obama among black voters. Just last week, the New York senator pulled off a coup when US Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia and a hero of the civil rights movement, endorsed her.

Read the full article from The Boston Globe

Eloquent Faith into Action

Aaron Krager — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 21:50:35 EDT

Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne once called Senator Obama' faith eloquent. He wrote:

Here's what stands out. First, Obama offers the first faith testimony I have heard from any politician that speaks honestly about the uncertainties of belief. "Faith doesn't mean that you don't have doubts," Obama declared. "You need to come to church in the first place precisely because you are first of this world, not apart from it."

In my mind there is nothing greater than realizing that we are of this world and acting as such. In the midst of a presidential election the Senator took the time to walk in the shoe's of a caregiver. The SEIU set up the chance for the Senator to see the average work day of Pauline Beck.

"I'm not going to lie to you. It's been a while," Obama said after mopping the kitchen and bathrooms.

"I probably haven't mopped a floor since I started my Senate race," Obama continued, though he quickly added, "Before that, that wasn't something I was averse to doing."

James 2:17 says "So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." I believe that Senator Obama is acting out his faith with good works and basing his presidential campaign on creating positive change in our political atmosphere, change that is sorely needed. He is seeking to do things for the common good, for middle class Americans like Pauline Beck and so many others.

Peace
Aaron Krager

Obama in caregiver's shoes -- chicagotribune.com

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:24:33 EDT

It was Obama's turn to spend part of a work day with a union member. He made a favorable impression on the single woman caregiver who's raising two foster children and a great-grand-nephew and whom he worked with in Oakland, California.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-070808obama,1,4697042,print.story

Obama blasts shadow fundraising group

V, aka VCubed/Virginia V — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 04:17:16 EDT

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama publicly urged his supporters today not to contribute to independent and unregulated groups -- particularly so-called 527 organizations -- that are currently raising money to aid his cause, saying that if backers give directly to his campaign instead, "we'll all be better off.''

Iowans for Health Care salute Barack's plan for universal coverage

Nick Kimball — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 15:23:55 EDT

This morning SEIU's Iowans for Health Care came to our Des Moines office to salute Barack for his plan to bring universal health care to every American.

They used real-life stories to perform a skit portraying situations that many Americans face every day when they try to deal with big insurance companies.

In honor of Barack presenting a comprehensive plan to lower health-care costs and make sure that every American has coverage, they presented a symbolic clock that now hangs right behind the front desk in our office.

The clock is there to serve as a reminder: three Americans lose their health insurance every minute.

We are in the midst of a health-crisis and Barack not only has a plan to move forward but he also has the leadership capacity to get something done on it.

New Leadership in Health Care Presidential Forum

Daniel Whelan — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 22:46:50 EDT

New Leadership in Health Care Presidential Forum

I had mentioned this in my previous post but once I started watching the videos I realized that it's more important than I had first thought it was. I didn't realize at the time I posted my last blog that the format was individual presentations and that all the candidates videos were included on the page. Anyway, they are... and you have to see them if you haven't already.

Now, I support Obama, and I liked his presentation... but you have absolutely gotta see Dennis Kucinich. Dennis hit a home run in this forum, what a character.

Dennis Kucinich is by far the most important candidate in the primary cycle and nothing I could possibly point to would display that better than his presentation at this forum. He's got nothing to lose, and everything to gain. More importantly, he's right and he knows he's right.

Obama's plan better be right, because Dennis isn't going away, he'll be right there telling people the truth until late in the process.

To tell you the truth... I literally hate the fact that Dennis cant get elected president, it just pisses me off. I strongly supported Dennis in 2004 and would love to believe in his campaign this time around.

I support Obama because his stump is quite similar to Dennis', and I'm not the only one who thinks so. Recent analysis by the National Journal found his voting record to be even more liberal than Kucinich, which is fine by me. People love Obama, and I have no problem with him.

I watched Dennis get less than half a percent in Missouri's primary in 2004 and that's just not going to beat Hillary, which I think is the most important thing to accomplish in the primary cycle. Obama can do it, and he's liberal enough to satisfy the leftists amongst us... like me, yet inclusive enough to still bring others to the table... Obama is a win win.

Dennis is right though, and it's important to note that. Single payer, not for profit, is what universal health care ought to be about, not subsidizing the insurance industry, which is already realizing record profits. We have to get the profit motive out of the health care industry if we have any shot at "fixing" the system.

I'm looking forward to seeing Obama's plan, but I sure hope he's listening to Dennis.

SEIU Sponsored First Presidential Forum on Health Care

Brian Webster — Tue, 27 Mar 2007 06:06:09 EDT

SEIU Sponsored First Presidential Forum on Health Care

I read about the SEIU sponsored first Presidential Forum on Health Care in the Sunday New York Times, and after doing some research online, my conclusion is that all that all the candidates had great rhetoric about support for universal health care, but only one had a common sense plan that can win American’s will respect and support.

UPI Story:

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said his plan is forthcoming -- but he laid out principles for coverage, calling for bold reform that will cover all Americans by the end of the next president's first term.

A successful plan, he said, would cover everyone, increase efficiency through care coordination and health information technology, and phase out employer-based insurance through alternative methods of risk pooling.

Obama did not rule out a tax increase, but argued that better use of the money already spent on healthcare could mitigate the costs of universal coverage.

"Everybody's going to have some good ideas," he said. "The question is, 'Are we going to be able to bring a majority of people together?'"

New York Times Story:

Senator Barack Obama of Illinois appeared less conversant with the details of health policy and sometimes found himself on the defensive, trying to explain why he had yet to offer a detailed plan to cover all Americans.

“The most important challenge is to build a political consensus around the need to solve this problem,” Mr. Obama said.

Also from the New York Times story:

Among the candidates at the forum, Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio offered the most sweeping proposal, to create “a universal, single-payer not-for-profit health care system providing Medicare for all.”

IN MY OPINION KUCINICH WON THE DAY WITH A CLEAR STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR THE SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM. Check out his presentation at the forum on You Tube.

Link

Of course Kucinich can’t win the Presidency, but he has a winning position and attitude on healthcare. As a Obama supporter, I urge the Senator to take a position that clearly supports the single payer system that every other industrialized country has. Support for what is called Universal Healthcare is meaningless and everyone knows it. I urge the campaign to come out in support of single payer or “Medicare for everyone” as the AFL-CIO Executive Council did on March 6th.

See this news article:

AFL-CIO Executive Council: Universal Health Care Should be Built on Medicare Blueprint.

Link

“In building on Medicare to move toward a universal program, we can find a practical, achievable and affordable solution to our country’s health care crisis. We call on congressional leaders to unite behind such a plan.”

What do you think?

-Brian